As part of Meridian International Center’s Digital Finance Future convening series, we are excited to announce our award of four scholarships to foreign diplomats who will further their learning and training in digital financial inclusion, and offer impactful contributions to inclusive economic growth in their respective communities and countries. This scholarship is part of Meridian’s ongoing efforts to strengthen the work and capacity of Washington’s international diplomatic corps. Meridian is proud to serve as a hub for ambassadors and other senior diplomats who are based in the nation’s capital.

The scholarship recipients include Mr. Rodrigo Andres Contreras, Head of the Economic Department for the Embassy of Chile to the U.S.; Mr. Tahir Rauf, Program Director of Education Sector Reform for the Government of Punjab, Pakistan; and Ms. Violet Skeva, First Secretary of Political and Economic Affairs for the Embassy of the Republic of Malawi to the U.S., all of whom will participate in Harvard Kennedy School’s “Rethinking Financial Inclusion: Innovation for Policy and Practice” beginning this Sunday. An executive program based at Harvard’s campus in Boston, “Rethinking Financial Inclusion” convenes leaders in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors to provide a conceptual framework that combines an evidence-based approach to understanding the market for finance and client needs with theoretical insights on how to design financial products to meet those needs.

The final scholarship recipient, Ms. Maryam Uwais, Special Adviser to the President on Social Investments for the Federal Republic of Nigeria, will participate in Women’s World Banking “Making Finance Work for Women Summit” from October 24-25 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The Summit will bring together 300 participants in sessions addressing issues in women’s financial inclusion. Attendees will include leaders from the financial services, consumer products, and technology industries, investors, philanthropists and government, along with Women’s World Banking’s global footprint of 49 member institutions from 32 countries.

The scholarship covers the cost of program tuition and/or registration for each recipient. Upon completion of their respective programs, scholarship recipients will write a report detailing their experience, key learning takeaways and outcomes, as well as the projected impact of their learning on long-term plans and/or career objectives. Meridian will publish these reports on our Digital Finance Future webpage.